RICHMOND, Va. (November 28, 2016) – Towson University’s
Jordyn Smith and Drexel University’s
Meghan Creighton were named the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Women’s Basketball Players of the Week while James Madison University’s
Kamiah Smalls picked up her second CAA Rookie of the Week honor of the season.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
Jordyn Smith • Towson University
Junior | Forward | Durham, N.C./Hillside
Towson junior Jordyn Smith had a strong week in the post to lead the Tigers to a 2-0 week. Smith's contributions have the Tigers (5-0) off to their best start to a season since the 2008-09 squad also opened with five straight wins. Smith averaged 15.5 points and a team-high 8.0 rebounds per game last week while also contributing five assists, six steals and a block with no turnovers in 68 minutes of work. Smith shot a blistering .867 from the field (13-for-15). In the win at UMBC, Smith had a then season-high 13 points and seven rebounds to go along with a career-high four steals. She shot 6-for-7 (.857) from the field and went 1-for-2 from the foul line. Smith also had two assists and a block against the Retrievers. In Sunday's win over George Mason, Smith posted a career-high 18 points to go along with a season-best nine rebounds. She was 7-for-8 (.875) and went 4-for-7 from the line. She also had three assists and two steals in that game. During a crucial 17-6 run in the third quarter that helped the Tigers take a lead they would not relinquish, Smith tallied eight points.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
Meghan Creighton • Drexel University
Senior | Guard | West Chester, Pa./Archbishop Carroll
Senior guard Meghan Creighton averaged 17.0 points on 57.9 percent shooting, 4.0 assists and 3.5 rebounds to help Drexel to a 1-1 week, which included an upset of No. 11/14 Syracuse. In the 62-61 upset win over Syracuse, she led the way with a career-high 23 points, including 7-of-10 from long range and hit the game-winning three-pointer with eight seconds to play from the right wing. Her game-winning shot, which was featured on ESPN, helped the Dragons move to a No. 3 mid-major ranking in ESPN’s poll. She added 11 points and five assists over Bucknell. For the week, Creighton was 11-for-19 from the field and 10-for-14 (.714) from long range.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK:
Kamiah Smalls • James Madison University
Freshman | Guard | Philadelphia, Pa./Neumann Goretti
Guard Kamiah Smalls had another solid effort for James Madison, averaging 9.0 points, 4.0 steals and 3.5 rebounds per game at the Cancun Challenge. She also shot 53.3 percent (8-for-15) from the floor. Smalls scored in double digits for fourth time in six games with 10 points against Iowa while coming away with a season-best five steals. In the win over Idaho State, Smalls had eight points, four assists and three steals. It is the second CAA Rookie of the Week honor for Smalls.
#CAAHoops – The Week that Was
The CAA is a collective 32-23 in non-league play so far this season.
College of Charleston (2-3): The Cougars split games last week, falling to Virginia Tech, 71-61, before picking up a 65-62 road win at Appalachian State. Senior
Breanna Bolden averaged 17.0 points and 9.0 rebounds.
Delaware (4-2): The Blue Hens went 1-2 last week, topping Princeton, 66-62, before dropping both games at the Cal State Northridge Thanksgiving Classic to No. 23 Michigan State and Detroit Mercy. Junior
Sadé Chatman had a solid week, averaging 10.3 points.
Drexel (4-2): The Dragons picked up a huge victory over No. 11 Syracuse at the DAC prior to Thanksgiving, behind 23 points from
Meghan Creighton. After the break, Drexel fell on the road at Bucknell, 78-66. Creighton shot .579 from the field (11-for-19) and .714 (10-for-14) from long range for an average of 17.0 points per game last week.
Elon (4-2): The Phoenix split games last week, topping Bucknell, 64-58, before falling to Wake Forest, 78-68. Senior
Lauren Brown averaged 18.0 points per game on 52.4 percent shooting while junior
Shay Burnett averaged a double-double (14.5ppg, 10.0rpg).
Hofstra (4-2): The Pride went 2-1 last week. Hofstra got things started with a 64-44 win over Delaware State. The Pride hit the road for a pair of games in California, falling at Sacramento State before pulling out a 64-60 win at UC Davis. Junior
Ashunae Durant averaged a double-double for the week (16.7ppg, 14.67rpg).
James Madison (2-2): The Dukes split games at the Cancun Challenge, topping Idaho State, 83-53, before falling to Iowa, 90-75. Redshirt senior
Precious Hall was named to the All-Rivieria Tournament Team after posting 16.0 points per game. Senior
Da’Lishia Griffin averaged a double-double with 16.5 points and 10.0 rebounds per game.
UNCW (2-3): The Seahawks suffered a pair of losses to Providence and La Salle at the UNCW Hampton Inn Thanksgiving Classic.
Madison Raque put up 11.0 points per game while
Jordan Henry tallied 9.0 points and 8.5 rebounds per game.
Northeastern (2-5): The Huskies ran into three tough opponents at the Cancun Challenge, falling to No. 11 Stanford, Purdue and Wichita State. Sophomore
Zoe Z
werling averaged 10.7 points on 54.7 percent shooting and 3.0 assists per game while sophomore
Jess Genco was named to the Mayan Division All-Tournament Team.
Towson (5-0): The Tigers continued to stay hot and remained undefeated on the season with a 59-48 win at UMBC and a 79-75 win over George Mason.
Jordyn Smith had a strong week in the post, averaging 15.5 points and a team-high 8.0 rebounds per game and shot a blistering .867 from the field (13-for-15).
William & Mary (3-1): The Tribe won its only game of the week, topping South Carolina Upstate, 49-44, on the road to push their winning streak to three games. Senior
Marlena Tremba led the way with 11 points, while
Alexandra Masaquel finished with 10 points, six rebounds, and five steals.